SAN GABRIEL VALLEY COVER STORY : How Interactive Media Is Being Utilized

Interactive media is a new field that is growing with each passing day. Supporters say it will revolutionize the way we shop, learn and live. Some examples of ways that interactive media, most using a format called CD-ROM, are currently being put to use:

* Games: In virtual reality games, users can land a jetliner, build a city or battle a dragon. A new game comes on the market almost every day.

* Book publishing: You can log on to an encyclopedia, for instance, and not only read about a wolf but also hear it howl and see it run. Graphics highlight the wolf’s life cycle and hunting patterns. For children, “talking books” guide youngsters through stories with audio narration, animated sequences and read-along questions.

* Advertising: A travel agency kiosk can allow you to scan flight times and rates, pick a hotel by browsing through various room tours and summon images of the island beach where you have booked a week’s vacation.

* Music: One of the better-known interactive efforts is Peter Gabriel’s “Xplora 1,” a CD-ROM that allows users to sample Gabriel’s music and videos, wander backstage at the Grammys, enter recording studios, learn about musical instruments used by indigenous peoples and read the lyrics of songs.